He always hid his hands from strangers
by Perfect.Contradiction
Summary: Axel had to do this. It was his job now. This was the only way to find Roxas...and this man would provide the answer.


France 1860~

He always hid his hands from strangers. Its not that he wanted to. He just didn't have a choice. The large, scratchy gloves hugged his hands tightly, chafing the delicate skin underneath. He winced and remembered where he stood. Axel was trapped in a massive crowd of people, warm, angry, pushing people. It felt as if the entire crowd had a fever. How could Axel not let his mind wander? Today was so important. So important that it could be detrimental to his heath. There was no escape, no breathing. He could barely move where he stood because every space was filled. Making sure to breath deeply as to not feel too claustrophobic, Axel looked up into the fog, high above all the warm bodies that pushed him about. His eyes caught sight of the big building that stood above the thousands of people that crowded below. On the front side of the builing was a porch, perched high above the land, and from the patio doors emerged the man. He was a petite, grubby man and he wore a tight suit. One that clung to his body, making the buttons look as if they were going pop right off any second. He didn't seem to notice all of the people as he walked out, and he froze in place when he finally heard the hushed whispers of the thousands of people below, told to gather there. He looked...calm, almost serene, as he let an infuriating smirk cross that pudgy face of his. Axel quickly took to looking at his shoes, just so he wouldn't have to lay his eyes on that man. He had taken everything Axel loved from him, the man wasn't worthy of his respect. He thought back in that moment. Suddenly everything was quiet. His mind serving as a solitude. He was numb, and let himself remember...

Axel lived in the country with his mother and brother. He was 14 at the time, his brother 6. They were playing in their usual spot under the bridge in the river, just down the dusty path to their family cottage. They were splashing and kicking the water around, laughing in joy at the silly situation. Axel's little brother, Roxas, loved the water. He loved the sun, he just loved nature in general. He would be outside all day if he could, but he can't because...

Roxas was albino.

Axel's mother never really did tell him and his brother why they couldn't explore near the city, and generally when his mother would say no, he would tell the dissapointed little boy that they couldn't go because the thick smog would choke them. He knew there was something deeper then his mother's words though. Something in her voice and face set off alarms in the back of Axel's mind. As Axel and Roxas played he realised, that day him and Roxas were only thinking of enjoying each others company, That's all that mattered and Axel couldn't have been happier.

As Axel and his brother came stumbling down the path home later that night, they noticed a strange scent in the air. They looked at each other, scrunching their noses both of their eyes lit up with recognition.

A fire.

Axel's eyes widened, and he ran towards their house at full speed, sweat forming on his forehead, he made it to their house, skidded to a stop, looked up, and cried in terror. Their house was engulfed in a burning fire, so hot it blew back wisps of red hair that hung loosely around Axel's face. Roxas stumbled behind Axel and fell, shock evident in his small red eyes. Axel went foreward a step, then stopped, frozen. His mother might have still been in the house. He stopped Roxas from following him with a flat hand in his face and Roxas sat down. As Axel went towards the house his strides got longer and more confident with every step. Once he made it to the door he felt it, pushing against it, struggling to get it open noticing something slippery glide along his hands. Giving one last big shove using his whole body the door slammed open throwing him into the burning rubble, fire surrounding him. He felt his lungs fill up with toxic smoke and he coughed in an effort to have it exit his body, trying to breath he shut the door. Sprinting through the small cottage he searched for his mother. Fire roaring high, Axel entered the family room slowly, couging once again with his head in a haze, and he looked all over the room. His eyes searching for any sign of life. Glancing over to the chair in the corner he remembered memories of his mother reading stories to him and Roxas when they were younger there. Shaking his head Axel continued to scan the room. There was only fire. He leaned over to the kitchen and when he was just about to turn to exit he halted abrubtly, turning back around to face the kitchen. He leaned around the corner in the living room and spotted something in the kitchen that caught his eye. He covered his nose and mouth with his dirty hand and ran into the room, tears pooling in his eyes from the thick smoke. He glanced quickly to see what caught his eyes and screamed.

There sat his mother in a chair. Tied up and burned.

Tears streamed down his face at an amazingly fast pace. His knees weak he started to run for the exit of the house, stumbling and slipping on the wet, oil like substance that was all over the floor. Running to the door he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He stopped and looked out the window only to see three masked men on black horses surrounding his crying little brother. He screamed his name, putting his hands against the window, but it was too late. They had taken him away. Axel couldn't let them get away, he ran to the door and slipped it open quickly. Suddenly heat rised immensly and he saw white. Axel sat up, scratching his back on the gravel, suddenly outside. Numb, he saw faintly through his tears for everything that happened to him only a moment ago. His hands were glowing. The very same light that took his mother away from him. Except Axel wasn't crying, he couldn't feel anything. He got up slowly and limped to the bucket of water they always kept outside. Placing his hands in the water, he let the steam blind him as this should have been his oasis.

Blinking, Axel saw he was watching his shoes intently, and now, instead of hushed whispers and talking, everything had gone quiet. And for a moment the boy thought he had gone deaf. Except, now the man spoke, he hadn't gone deaf. His deep voice shot right to Axel's stomach and he felt nauseous. He wouldn't let the man have this effect on him. He couldn't. This was the "dawn of a new era". Normal was legal, anything else isn't. His brother was illegal for being albino. His mother was illegal for being a widow. Axel was illegal for having a "defect". This new power, it sent everyone into hiding. Families teared apart. People killed for doing "illegal things" it needed to end. No one was safe. Axel was now on a hunt to find her brother and to not let this new "defect" stop him. No one would stop him.

He took hold of his right glove and slipped the itchy fabric off of his hand.

"This land is ruled by fairness."

He put his hand in the pocket of his trousers and grabbed a cold metal object.

"No one is to feel any pain of any sort."

Pulling it out he aimed at the man's head.

"No one is to disagree."

He pulled the trigger.

"And above all you canno-"

The whole crowd was on fire again, screaming and gasping at the man toppeling over the edge of his perch to the dirt below. With the rest of them. People shoved around Axel as he put the cold metal object back into his pocket, slipping his glove back on he thought to himself as he walked away from the scene. He always hid his hands from strangers. Its not that he wanted to. He just didn't have any other choice.


End file.
